1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technical field of a light-sensitive material processing apparatus for subjecting light-sensitive materials such as photographic papers, photographic films and the like to wet development processing, and more specifically, to the technical field of a light-sensitive material processing apparatus for transporting exposed light-sensitive materials and automatically subjecting them to wet development processing such as color development, bleach-fixing, washing and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photographs are finished as finished films by subjecting images recorded on photographic films (hereinafter, referred to simply as "film") such negative films, reversal films, X-ray films and the like to wet development processing such as color development, bleach-fixing, washing and the like. When the finished films are the reversal films or X-ray films, the images can be directly observed. When, however, the finished films are the negative films, they are completed as finished prints (photo-prints) in such a manner that the images recorded on the negative films are exposed and printed on light-sensitive materials such as photographic papers and the like and then developed.
As described above, since the light-sensitive materials such as the films and photographic papers must be subjected to the wet development processing to make the images recorded thereon to visible images, they are ordinarily processed by a light-sensitive material processing apparatus which automatically carries out wet development processing.
Heretofore, images recorded on films have been printed onto light-sensitive materials such as photographic papers and the like by means of direct (analog) exposure, in which projected light from the film is allowed to be incident on the light-sensitive material to achieve its areal exposure. Whereas, at present, there has become commercially practical digital photoprinters which are arranged such that image information recorded on, for example, films is photoelectrically read and converted into a digital signal and made to recording image data after it is subjected to various types of image processing and light-sensitive materials are scan exposed by recording light modulated in accordance with the image data so that images (latent images) are recorded on the light-sensitive materials and the light-sensitive materials are developed and output as finished prints.
The digital photoprinter is composed essentially of an input machine having an image reading device (scanner) for reading image data recorded on a film and a data processing device for subjecting image data read by the image reading device to various types of image processing (data processing) and the like; an output machine having an image recording apparatus (printer) comprising an image exposing device for digitally exposing a light-sensitive material in accordance with the image data having been subjected to the image processing and the like, a light-sensitive material supply unit for supplying the light-sensitive material to be exposed and a light-sensitive material transport mechanism for transporting the light-sensitive material supplied from the light-sensitive material supply unit through a preset transport passage including the image exposing device, and a light-sensitive material processing apparatus (processor) for developing the exposed light-sensitive material; and a controller for controlling and managing the digital photoprinter as a whole.
In the input machine, first, reading light emitted from a light source is incident on a film in the image reading device and projecting light which carries an image recorded on a film forms a focused image on an image sensor such as a CCD sensor or the like through an imaging lens. The focused image is read by being photoelectrically converted by the image sensor and supplied to the image (data) processing device as input image data which corresponds to the image recorded on the film.
Subsequently, the image (data) processing device subjects the image data which was input from the image reading device and digitized or image data which was previously digitized and input to various types of data processing in accordance with preset image processing conditions or various image processing conditions which are changed in correspondence to the image data as well as determines exposure conditions proper to the image data and transports the image data to the image exposing device of the output device as output image data.
The output machine is arranged such that when the image recording apparatus scan exposes an image with a light beam, in the image exposing the light beam is modulated in accordance with the image data transferred from the data processing device, the light beam is deflected in a main scanning direction and at the same time a light-sensitive material is transported in an auxiliary scanning direction substantially normal to the main scanning direction by the light-sensitive material transport mechanism to thereby two-dimensionally scan expose the light-sensitive material and record a latent image on the light-sensitive material. Thereafter, the light-sensitive material is subjected to development processing in accordance with the material in the light-sensitive material processing apparatus and arranged as a finished print on which the image recorded on the film is reproduced.
In the image recording apparatus making use of the digital exposure, since gradation correction and color/density correction is carried out by image processing in the image processing device as well as the exposure conditions are determined thereby, one image can be exposed in a short time and the exposure time is fixed in accordance with an image size, exposure can be promptly carried out in comparison with conventional direct exposure. Further, the image processing device permits editing of a printed image such as combination of a plurality of images and division of a single image into segments and image processing such as color/density adjustments and contour emphasis (sharpness processing) and the like to be optionally carried out so that a finished print which has been optionally edited and subjected to image processing can be output in accordance with application or use.
Further, since the image information of the finished print can be stored in a recording medium such as a magnetic optical disc, when the image information is stored in the recording medium, it is not necessary, for example, to read a film again and set exposure conditions again in a job for preparing extra prints or reprints, whereby the job can be very promptly and easily carried out. In addition, the image recording apparatus making use of the digital exposure is advantageous in that a print on which recorded image information is approximately completely reproduced can be output in such aspects as resolution, color/density reproduction and the like, which is difficult in a print made by conventional direct exposure.
As shown in FIG. 5, since the above digital photoprinter, an ordinary photoprinter employing direct exposure, and the like are also arranged such that a light-sensitive materials A, which has been exposed by digital exposure or analog exposure in an image recording apparatus 202 and to which latent images have been formed, is supplied to a light-sensitive material processing apparatus 204 and sequentially passes through wet processing bathes such as a development bath 206, fixing bath 208, washing baths 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d and the like, each of which is long in a vertical direction, located in the development section 212 of the light-sensitive material processing apparatus 204, is sequentially subjected to color development processing, bleach-fix processing, washing processing and the like, made to finished prints by being dried in a drying mechanisms disposed therein and sequentially dipped into processing solutions such as a developing solution, fixing solution, washing solutions and the like. In these processes, the light-sensitive material is turned upward at a position near to the lowermost end of a bath and lifted up to the upper end thereof and then transported to the next bath. Accordingly, when it is necessary to remove the vertically long transport mechanism racks from the respective processing baths in order to clean, repair and replace the transport mechanisms of the respective processing baths, clean the interior of the respective processing baths and execute maintenance to solve such troubles as the jamming of the light-sensitive material, there arises a problem that the vertically long transport mechanism racks must be lifted or drawn out upward along the vertically long processing baths by a very troublesome and time-consuming job.
Further, since the color developing solution in the development bath is an alkali aqueous solution and the fixing/bleaching solution in the fixing bath is an acid water solution, it is not preferable that an ordinary user executes the maintenance of these baths in a state that he is in direct contact with the solutions and it is not desired that the solutions contact clothes and skin. Therefore, there are problems that maintenance cannot be carried out by a person other than an expert service man and that each time a trouble arises or maintenance is required, it is necessary to call the expert service man because the ordinary user cannot deal with it.